Zarisian
Zarisians, once inhabiting the world of Zaris, were a genetic offshoot of the species. Zarisians were aesthetically identical in every way to humans except for their piercing, glowing eyes. The zarisians were later hunted to near-extinction. Biology Zarisians have the genetic baseline of ordinary seeing as how they are simply genetically-enhanced versions of them. They have a robust physiology with dense muscle tissue and bones which makes them both stronger and more resiliant to blunt-force trauma. Their bodies are also highly resistant to hazardous environments including extreme temperatures, radiation, and toxins. Adding to their hardiness is their immune systems that fight off nearly all forms of disease and infection and they rapidly heal after suffering injury. Zarisians have very hightened senses and are capable of detecting other presences far more easily than average humans. They also have heightened reflexes, making them capable of incredible reaction. Zarisians have minds that can calculate quickly, making their intelligence near that of and all of them have biotic potential. Those who choose to explore this ability usually adapt very powerful biotic skill. History Creation Zarisians were never originally referred to by this name. The group originated through a costly and complex project that was intended to create several brigades of genetically-enhanced super-soldiers. The considered the creation of these soldiers necessary to carry out critical operations against threats to humanity and Cerberus. The first of these super-solders began development on . Exactly 60 tank-bred, fully-grown superhumans resulted from the sixteen month process and an even larger batch was soon in the works. Four years following the creation of the original 60 super-soldiers, Cerberus managed to create approximately 320 superhumans of the same calibur. These tank-bred humans were trained by top-Cerberus operatives through excessively brutal means. Scientists tested the pain tolerance and psychological breaking points of the artificially-born soldiers while commandos trained them in combat and physically conditioned them, often resulting in excessive violence by Cerberus. During this process, atleast sixteen superhumans were killed by some form of abusive treatment. Cerberus Servitude With the completion of their training, the super-soldiers were separated into several phonetically-identified units - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta. These brigades (as they were called) were used to strike against various factions across the galaxy without question. The super-soldiers were often deployed against the and but were also sent to strike against task forces. To ensure that their loyalty remained with him, the Illusive Man ordered the implementation of mind-control implants. The implants were used systematically by unit starting with Alpha. Most of the super-soldiers gladly complied with orders to receive the implant while others, still remembering the suffering by the hands of Cerberus masters, managed to dodge the implant procedure. Around the same time, many internal grumblings began to secretly arise within the ranks. Many non-implanted soldiers began to see how they were treated like less than human after experiencing human rights during undercover missions on Alliance colonies. Rebellion Seeing as how the inclusion of this implant made them slaves to Cerberus, plots of desertion began to arise within the various brigades among the super-solders who had not received the mind-control device. CA-21, one of the original sixty super-soldiers, was the mastermind behind a plot to deactivate the mind-control devices by laying siege to the central tower on Aite where the remote control system for the devices was located. The plan was enacted one night on Aite with CA-21 infiltrating the central tower, deactivating the security systems, and allowing more than three dozen other super-soldiers to enter the structure and occupy it. Despite the security system being deactivated, several Cerberus operatives escaped the building and alerted the base who sent reinforcements to deal with the issue. The mind-control devices were deactivated by CA-21's resistance force and they were forced to fight against Cerberus operatives attempting to retake the tower. The other super-soldiers, hearing the battle, left their barracks and assisted their brothers in the fight against Cerberus even though they themselves knew little of what was going on. The result was a battle that engulfed the entire base and lasted through the night. The super-soldiers inevitably won the battle and gain possession of the base. Despite this victory, Cerberus had a significant presence on Aite with several outposts and bases located on the planet. It was only a matter of time before the super-soldiers had to defend themselves from multiple sieges, each one more devastating than the last. CA-21's resistance force left it's defensive state and began launching brutal offensive strikes against the various bases and outposts on Aite. To deal with the uprising, the Illusive Man ordered a task force consisting of several highly-skilled platoons of snipers, assassins, and commandos to be unleashed on the super-soldiers. The result forced the super-soldiers to inevitably put an escape plan into action. Colonization of Zaris The superhumans had begun to receive crippling strikes from the Cerberus task force. Despite many wanting to stay and fight, most felt that survival was far more important so CA-21 ordered the systematic evacuation of his allies. He chose the most unsuspecting place as a rendezvous point for the evacuees, the world of Zaris. The superhumans began using escape shuttles and cargo freighters to escape to the planet, leaving Aite far behind and becoming hidden to Cerberus. Upon landing on Zaris, the superhumans quickly began to adapt to the world considered too extreme for human colonization. Scouts began to discover valuable resources very quickly. As the superhumans continued to discover large sources of water and edible vegetation, CA-21 and the rest of the superhumans began to consider staying on Zaris. After talking on the matter, the super-soldiers decided to settle Zaris permanently. They adopted the name "Zarisians" after the planet they called their new home and began further exploring their new world. Many zarisians began to start families while others began leaving Zaris to bring back valuable resources and knowledge for the growing community. As the zarisian community grew, they felt obligated to register for claim of the planet with the greater galactic community. It was a surprise to the that Zaris had a settlement built on it, particularly a human settlement. The Systems Alliance was moreconfused by this than anyone else as no known human expeditions had been made to Zaris for several decades. Though they frowned on independent colonies being started without the consent of the government, the Alliance saw no use in the planet so they left the colony alone. Soon the zarisians discovered several large mineral deposits and, learining the value in them, began mining these deposits and opening trade with other colonies. The zarisian community and economy grew exponentially at a rapid rate and as it did, the Alliance became interested in the colony once again. Genocide The zarisians quickly began to become a very wealthy group. Their small villages made of landed shuttles grew into large cities as mines began to span across the planet and trading routes extended to more and more worlds. The Systems Alliance began taxing the zarisians for protection against pirates and raiders for several years when hostile activity against the colony increased. This lasted up until the Alliance received documentation from an unknown source that claimed the zarisians weren't human but genetically-engineered beings created by Cerberus. Investigation by the Systems Alliance had pointed to Cerberus itself as being the distributor of the documents, something that could possibly be an act of retaliation against the zarisians. The claim was thought to have some legitimacy as most, if not all zarisians seen by offworlders, were very different from the average human - displayed mostly by the glowing eyes that all of them seemed to have. This was brought up during trade talks by Alliance figures to zarisian diplomats who confirmed the accusation. What they saw as a small deal was considered very critical to the Alliance and humanity in general as their were genetically-superior humans who's existence went against the Sudham-Wolcott Genetic heritage Act as they were engineered to a point that technically made them non-human. It was at this point that the Systems Alliance began contemplating how they could take control of the vast mineral deposits on Zaris. It was Colonel Torgove who proposed Order 21 - a plan to utilize the newly-formed Black-Ops Wolverines to exterminate the zarisians and allow the Alliance to begin plans of taking control of the planet's resources. It was with much hesitance that the Alliance leadership agreed to this. It was deemed acceptable by them because the zarisians were an illegally-engineered people created by a criminal organization as a weapon against them and the Citadel government. With that, the Wolverines were secretly unleashed on Zaris after a black-out of the planet's communications. Several battalions of Wolverines quickly descended on Zaris in what the zarisians likened to the sieges by Cerberus years before. One by one, zarisian settlements began to fall quickly. Entire towns were wiped out as Wolverines executed entire families without mercy or emotion. The attack was so sudden, it took hours for zarisian opposition to rally and begin fighting back against the Wolverines. The zarisians fought well against the Wolverines but their numbers had become too scattered to pose any real opposition against the invading extermination force. In only two days, the zarisian settlements were completely wiped out. The Wolverine's thorough attack on Zaris left nearly all of the zarisians dead and left the colony vacant. The Systems Alliance blaimed the genocide on an organized slaver ring and launched an attack against several pirate bases to keep up appearances. Despite thinking that they had killed off all of the zarisians and kept the genocidal campaign a secret from the rest of the galaxy, their were survivors. A handful of zarisians, scattered among the ruins of Zaris, managed to find various ways off of the planet. These groups escaped to different worlds across the galaxy like , , and . Each of these survivors became very anti-Systems Alliance after this but kept what happened a secret tolay low and keep themselves safe. Survivors often wore apparel to hide their eyes or even had surgery to change them completely. Culture Zarisians are generally seen to be very intelligent, abnormally ambitious, highly adaptable, individualistic and thus, unpredictable. They are noted for their strong sense of public service. It is rare to find one who puts his needs ahead of the group. Zarisians have a strong inclination toward public service and self-sacrifice. Along with the fact each zarisian relies on the others for survival, this means the bonds between zarisians tend to be very strong. The surnames of zarisians is usually taken from the phonetic identification of the unit they or their ancestors were in. For that reason, it is generally considered normal for someone with one surname to mate with someone from another to ensure inbreeding doesn't take place. Notable Zarisians *'Kordin Alpha' *'Kato Alpha' *'Arin Delta' *'Jako Beta' *'Seth Gamma' *'Xeven' Category:Redfox89 Category:Species Category:Cerberus